Texas implements voter ID law after Supreme Court ruling
CONNIE SWINNEY • PICAYUNE STAFF
AUSTIN — A local legislator said the state’s voter identification law, implemented less than 24 hours after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling, will deter voter fraud without limiting access to the polls.
“This will preserve the integrity of the ballot box,” said State Sen. Troy Fraser, R-Horseshoe Bay.On June 25, the U.S. Supreme Court voted 5-4 to throw out a lower court ruling that called Texas Senate Bill 178 discriminatory and blocked the implementation of a photo-identification requirement at the polls.
“We’ve been ready to implement it since 2011. We always believed this law was both fair and constitutional. We were just kept from doing that,” Fraser said. “As soon as the Supreme Court gave us the OK, we were poised and put it into effect the next day.”
Fraser authored the legislation, which originated in the state senate in 2011; however, a lower court blocked implementation because of provisions in the Civil Rights Act of 1965. Nine states, including Texas, were required to pre-clear any changes to voting regulation through the U.S. Department of Justice, according to the law.
“In the past, we’ve never had a problem with that, but for some reason, the Obama administration has been very aggressive and more especially aggressive about Texas issues,” Fraser said. “The court ruled in our favor. They basically said the ’65 Voter Rights Act has out-lived its useful life, that it should not apply.”
During the high court consideration, opponents also argued Civil Rights era-law used 40-year-old data and intruded into state sovereignty.
The law now directs the Texas Department of Public Safety to issue free photo IDs for voters who do not have an alternative form of identification.
“It’s trying to make it fair and make it as easy as possible for everybody to get a card and vote,” Fraser said. “If, for some reason, someone didn’t drive or their driver’s license expired, all they would have to do is get identification from DPS to verify they are who they say they are.”
Fraser dismissed justice department concerns that photo-identification regulation restricts the right to vote.
“Logic would show that anything you do, you have to show identification. If you get on an airplane, if you rent a library book, if you buy cigarettes at 7-11 you have to show identification,” he said. “For someone to say it is a huge barrier for someone to get identification to prove they are who they say they are, I think that’s incorrect.”
The following are forms of ID permitted prior to voting:
• Texas driver’s license
• Texas Election ID certificate
• Texas personal ID card issued by DPS
• Texas concealed handgun license issued by DPS
• U.S. military ID card
• U.S. citizenship certificate with photo
• U.S. passport
Go to www.votetexas.gov for more information.
connie@thepicayune.com